I know a posted a video for this track a few weeks ago and it so happened that it wasn’t the official video. The official one was released yesterday and here it is.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Kanye West & Jay Z - Otis (Official Video)
So I am going through my usual morning drill – finding out what’s happening in the world. I come across this video and I am excited to see what “The Throne” did with the video to this song. Of all things to do, I never thought that these guys would take a Maybach apart and do some crazy stuff like they do in this music video. Especially in times like these when the US is suffering economically and there are thousands of people dying of starvation every day in Somalia. It seems like these guys are really taking it to another level with this unorthodox approach to music. It’s good to see that right at the end they say that the car is going to be auctioned and the proceeds donated to the East Africans drought disaster.
I still think this is an incredible song though. That Otis Redding sample is just outta this world crazy. Apparently they paid a hella lot for it and Kanye went H.A.M with the production. I guess this song is just one expensive piece of art. Well, they did justice on the song, that’s for sure. Check out the video and let me know what you think.
I still think this is an incredible song though. That Otis Redding sample is just outta this world crazy. Apparently they paid a hella lot for it and Kanye went H.A.M with the production. I guess this song is just one expensive piece of art. Well, they did justice on the song, that’s for sure. Check out the video and let me know what you think.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Work Out - J. Cole (Video)
Last night I was so excited when I came across this video on some random site. I posted the news on Facebook and it seems like no one could find the video. It’s a rough finish of the upcoming video of J. Cole’s new album. This is just something for the J. Cole fans out there. I hope it will look the same when the video if finally released. Enjoy it!
Work Out Music Video
Monday, June 27, 2011
A Typical Day in Guangzhou
As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, part of the reason of my travel to china was for an intensive summer camp. I figured it would be necessary to let you know what my daily routine was. That way, a lot of what I would talk about would make sense and it also gives a glimpse into my life while I am out here. Being an “intensive” camp, you can be rest assured that most of the time was spent in class. However, this was probably the most interesting class I have had in my entire college career.
The day was essentially divided into four parts. In the morning, we would have the Mandarin classes. The first hour and a half would be dedicated to learning Chinese characters and the second hour and a half would be for talking and listening. The classes were conducted by young Chinese teachers who I am pretty sure are still students at SYSU or are recent graduates. The fact that these teachers were young coupled with the fact that they were really excited to be hosting African students made this class so easy going. I promise you, if every class at UCT was conducted like these classes, no one would have DPR. These were classes where the end of class came more as a surprise rather than a long awaited event.
The afternoon was dedicated mainly to Chinese culture. The first half of the afternoon was when we were taught either Chinese songs or something about the actual culture, such as table manners, paper cutting and Chinese architecture. The songs were always the most fun because they usually came with a video and we would have to do the dances as well. Unfortunately, I cannot remember any of the songs so if you see me on the street, please do not ask me to perform any of these songs. The second half was the best part of the day. It was when we had Tai Chi and Kung Fu lessons. Yeah I said it!!! This was something I had always wanted to do and what better place to do than in China itself. Y’all better not mess with me anymore
The period between 6 and 10 pm everyday was a time for shopping. Since the entire day was packed with classes and stuff, after dark was the only time we could actually go out shopping. Luckily, if they actually close, most places in Guangzhou close after 10 pm. I have to say, this place is quite ridiculous when it comes to shopping. I don’t know how people here live with all these things in their face. Being a person who is infamous for “liking things” Guangzhou was like a little heaven. I never thought I could go out every night looking for stuff to buy. However, when you are in Guangzhou, you might find yourself doing many things you never thought you would.
The last few hours of the day – after midnight – were the time to go out. Guangzhou has a nightlife that is matched by none I have heard of or seen anywhere. People in this city make it seem as if every day is a holiday. I was surprised the first time I went out, on a Tuesday, to find that the place was as alive as ever. As a result, going out became part of daily routine. Though I didn’t go out every night, I definitely went out way more than I would if I had been back home.
Being in Guangzhou was the definition of working hard and playing hard…well, and shopping hard as well. Ha!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
So, Why China?
It’s interesting how a lot of people have been asking me why I chose to go to China yet when I traveled to the USA everyone had theories as to why I had made that trip. Well, I waited to hear what kind of conspiracies people would come up with this time since I had no connection to China whatsoever prior to this trip. The most common one was that I was coming out here to hustle and look to expand my business. Obviously untrue, I still have no idea what business it is exactly that I am accused of being in. Oh well; this is nothing new in the life of Juan-Thembie.
Truth be told, I am in China because I am on an intensive summer camp for my Mandarin class. As some of you might already know, I was taking Mandarin as an elective during the first semester. Our professor so happened to arrange a summer camp for the class where we would spend 10 days of intensive mandarin classes at San Yat Sen University in Guangzhou. This would also serve as a platform for us to practice our Mandarin and learn about the Chinese culture first hand. After the first 10 days, we will be spending another 10 days traveling across China, visiting several cultural and historical sites. It is as a result of this arrangement that I have found myself in this magnificent country.
I actually was never excited about coming to China and even for the first few days I was out here, my roommate and I had to remind each other ever few hours that we were actually in China. Like Hellen said, “who goes to China dude???” This isn’t exactly the best tourist destination in the world and there aren’t many good things said about China besides that their economy is doing great. Unfortunately, the economics didn’t excite me that much. However, 13 days into the trip, I can safely tell you that this has been one hell of an experience. I’m glad I took the chance to come out here. It’s truly unbelievable!
Although I might have claimed that wasn’t out here to hustle, a man of my caliber cannot help but think of starting some serious hustling after traveling to China. But I guess that’s a story for another post…
Friday, June 24, 2011
Welcome to Juan-Thembie's Blog
So what is this blog about? Well, this blog is more like my thinking space; a place where I can share my thoughts and views on different aspects of this crazy life of mine. Unlike my last blog, www.juan-thembie.blogspot.com will be more than just a travel blog. I am looking to make this a platform for discussions for a broad range of topics such as travel, entertainment, business, politics and just life in general. This blog will also serve as a platform for friends and family to interact and share their views on the topics raised here.
However, it should be noted that this blog is still under construction. For the next month or so, the blog will be undergoing several touch ups. Since I am going to be in China for the next 3 weeks (I’m actually on my way to China), I’m mostly going to be blogging on my experience here. I probably will not have time to put up finishing touches on the site. As a result, please bear with me if some of the stuff on the site does not make sense.
I hope you will enjoy the blog.
PS This post was meant to be posted about 2 weeks ago but I didnt know that Blogger was blocked in China. So please bear with me. Enjoy the blog
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Fast Food Review...
Its 7pm and I’m at the Miami International Airport. I am feeling so relieved. I did not have (still don’t) have my passport. With the intensity of the TSA, I was afraid the least I would have to go though would be a strip search. This was because the lady I had spoken to over the phone had said that they would have to carry out an intensive screening process to verify my identity if I didn’t have my passport or any American issued photo ID. Fortunately, the issue was resolved with no need for strip searches or anything remotely close to that. Gees, I love America!
Since I checked in two hours early for the above mentioned reasons, I decided to grab a bite from the fast food outlet next to my boarding gate. The place is called Manhattan’s Famous. What a waste of time! The slogan on it is “More than just the best hot dog.” I don’t know about the dog, but the rest of that statement should read “also the crappiest burger and fries.” Just looking at the food made me upset. However, as an African boy raised the way I was, you never discriminate food regardless how it looks. So I tried the food and as you can tell, that meal was an absolute struggle. I doubt if beggars on the street would eat that.
This unfortunate incident prompted me to go ahead and share some of my experiences in relation to fast food. I thought I would give a little insight and some reviews of some of the fast food outlets that I have been to since I have been in the US. I spent quite a lot of time going to different places and trying out different things that they had on their menu so as to give a fair judgment. The restaurants I am going to talk about are McDonalds, Burger King, Pollo Tropical, Taco Bell, Chipotle, KFC and Subway.
McDonalds: This is by far the outlet that I visited the most. Probably as many times as all the others combined. Compared to McDonalds South Africa and fast food outlets in general, McDonalds offers a nice greasy menu that is guaranteed to make you fat in no time. However, if taken in moderation, like all things, the burgers are great and the fries are excellent. The soda, like all soda in America, is watered down and I absolutely hate it.
Burger King: At first, I totally hated BK because on my second day in the US, my friend and I got the worst service in a BK outlet. As a result, I did not set foot in BK for another month. However, when I finally got over it and tried another BK branch, the service wasn’t so bad and neither was the food. The large triple whopper meal was the most filling meal I had in any outlet. However, for the first time in my life I was able to taste meat that didn’t taste like meat. The patties tasted like they weren’t really beef. As a result, I never went back.
Taco Bell: After watching all the Taco Bell commercials during NBA matches with the really cool-sounding announcer, I had so much hope for the franchise. However, this was my biggest disappointment. Don’t get me wrong. Taco Bell has the best bargains in the nation. With $5 you can get a meal that you probably won’t be able to finish and if you do, you will be full for days. Problem is, the quality of the food is below par. I’m not a Mexican food specialist but that’s probably the worst Mexican food out there. Even the Mexican restaurants in Cape Town are better. I think the Taco Bell team took the ‘fast’ part of Fast Food and decided to make their food so fast that there is no quality or any attention to detail. A lot of people like it. I can’t stand it!
Subway: Probably the healthiest of all the above franchises, it is also one of the best. Besides a funny smelling atmosphere in the branch close to the hotel I stayed, there was nothing to complain about Subway. Nonetheless, the fate of your meal is in the hands of the attendee as he/she makes your Sub to his/her best (sometimes worst) abilities. The Subs are absolutely delicious and since they are also healthy, there is no reason anyone would think it was weird that I used to have subway twice, sometimes thrice a day (before the McDonalds addiction)
KFC: I had KFC once so I don’t know if my assessment of the chain is fair. It was the worst thing ever! The chicken was dry and the fries were bad. Not even the KFC in Zimbabwe is that bad and it’s not even really KFC. I honestly think it was just that one restaurant that I went to that was really bad because if all KFC’s are like that, then I don’t know how that franchise is surviving. So I guess my conclusion is based on a worst-day-scenario assessment. Nevertheless, I am not going back to KFC.
Pollo Tropical: I had a few meals at this restaurant and I don’t have much to say for it. It tasted like home cooked food made by a freshman who has never had to cook anything in his/her life. The pork tasted like it was boiled, rather than fried or grilled.
Chipotle: Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t know why I even included this on Fast Food Restaurant reviews. I guess it’s because that’s what it is. However, this is the best thing ever!! After having looked for a branch for close to two months, I finally found it on one of my expeditions into the unknown. It was as if I had found treasure in a hidden cave. It is the opposite of Taco Bell in terms of food quality. The food is above par for fast food outlets yet it won’t cost you over $10.
So I am now typing the last part of this article a week later in a McDonalds restaurant in Times Square, New York. After going over the above reviews, I realized that I was complaining about something in almost every restaurant. Am I going to change my views? No! Its fast food ladies and gentlemen; if it’s not one thing it’s the other. In any case, it’s bad for you. Also, this experience with fast food outlets made me realize something. Sometimes things that seem really cool on TV aren’t exactly that cool. In some cases they are actually uncool. So be careful what you go around telling people about things you have never had.
Please be advised that this blog post was eventually posted a few weeks later from a lab at The University of Cape Town. Procrastination…
My Apologies
So it has been a while since I posted anything on this blog. The main reason being that since my last post, I had been traveling a lot. I actually never simultaneously had a real internet connection and blogging time. However, I am back in South Africa with several blog posts that I wrote when I was traveling between, cities, states and countries. I will try post them every now and again rather than posting them all at once.
Once again, these are just experiences being shared.
Enjoy!
Friday, January 28, 2011
The boy is back...
If you know me well, you will know these two things about me. Firstly, I am not a big fan of the dark, and secondly, I am terrified by heights. So how is it that I find myself at 11 pm sitting on the balcony of the 36th floor apartment that I have called home for the past 4 days? But how can I not? I have the view of one of the most breathtaking skylines I have ever seen. Below me on the right is the stunning Knight Concert Hall of the Adrienne Arsht Centre for Performing Arts. A little further down on the left is the American Airlines Arena. With the architectural competition in the downtown Miami skyline, AAA is not exactly eye candy, but the fact that it’s the home of the Miami Heat makes it kind-of-a-big-deal. A lot further down, right in the heart of downtown Miami, is a building that made me think I was in Singapore the first time I saw it, (I so badly want to go there) or in Dubai (oh, I’m actually going there) The Miami Tower – Florida’s 8th tallest building – is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever come across. I can’t help but stare and imagine what was going through the architects’ minds as they designed this brilliant structure, which is lit in blue for the Christmas season. So you can see how I, a tenant in the tallest building in midtown Miami, (14th in Miami) can overcome all my fears and relax in view of such beauty. I would love to say, “Back to reality,” but we never left, this is reality.
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| The Adrienne Arsht Center |
A lot of people have asked me where I have been and why I have been so quiet on the blogsphere. In all honesty, even though I seem to be having a great time now, the last couple of weeks have been a little harsh. From tiring days at work, to running back and forth between Social Security offices, after Boston, I have had to realize that being independent and far away from home takes a lot of responsibility. Having been ‘homeless’ for about a week and moving from one hotel room to the other and staying with friends in some not-so-homely neighborhoods, I have not been in the right mind state to write. However, its not all as gloomy as it might sound. Everything that happened was part of the plan. It was like going to the gym after a long time knowing that for the next few days your body is going to ache. Lessons were learnt and the man continues to grow. I am pretty sure that the “gym sessions” will pay off. I can already feel myself building life ‘muscle’ that I need. It’s only a matter of time before the abs start showing and the shirt starts ripping.
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| My actual view from the balcony. Ironically, I got this photo off the internet |
That being said, I am back and will try and fill in the huge gap that I left in my adventures while I have been out here. With only two weeks left in Miami, I have a lot more to look forward to but will try hard as I can to get you all up to speed by the time I leave. I trust you have been well. Until next time, I am going to continue staring at the Miami Tower and try figure out where on the streets of Harare we could build something similar….I might be here all night!
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| The Miami Tower |
Friday, January 7, 2011
The last 33 days...
December 3rd 2010 – a day before two of my favorite people’s birthday (Jay Z and Rachel Jetter) – I arrived in “the land of milk and honey.” Over the past 33 days, I have endeavored in several adventures. Some of these adventures have been fun and successful. Others haven’t been as much fun, but they were always successful. This is a brief summary as to what I have been up to.
There are two major things that I have been doing since I got here—the first is working. Although I have worked in many different fields prior to this trip, this is the first time that I have worked full time in a field that has nothing to do with my potential future job fields (Engineering or Finance). Currently, I am working in the Hospitality Industry at a golf resort in Aventura, Florida called The Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort and Club. More specifically, I work in the Cascata Grille, a restaurant within the hotel. Although the hospitality industry is no easy place to work, especially for people with little or no patience, the experience has been fulfilling so far. With the likes of James Caan, Jack Nicholson and Michael Jordan (a regular!) among the resort’s guests, there is always a sense of enthusiasm when one goes to work and sees who has checked in. I mean, big names mean big tips right? Moreover, with such big names and other big businessmen always coming into the resort, there is always an opportunity for networking and eavesdropping on “rich talk.” Along with a bunch of other South Africans working at the resort on the same program, l live about half an hour away in Fort Lauderdale. This is a perfect place to stay given the proximity to Las Olas Boulevard and the short drive from downtown Miami.
The other activity I have spent half my time partaking in is tourism. Not as a business or industry, but being a tourist myself. Seeing that I am in such a beautiful state with more to offer than one can handle, I think that failure to spend at least a week touring the place would be offensive not only to myself, but to Mother Nature as well. As a result, I went all out and toured as much as I could! With my favorite touring partner, Sabrina, in town for the week, we took to the streets, the waterways and the beaches of Fort Lauderdale and also did a bit of Miami. We went to every part of this place that we could go to within the given time period. From Fort Lauderdale beach, Las Olas Boulevard and riverfront, the Science Museum, the all too famous Sawgrass Mills, to the even more famous Ocean Drive on South Beach. We did so much that after that week, I felt like I had lived in Fort Lauderdale for about a year yet I had only been here barely a fortnight. Superb food at some of the finest restaurants only made the experience even more memorable. My favorite night was probably at a sports bar a couple of blocks from our hotel. Watching the Celtics game while having the best pork chops ever and a disgusting beer on the side, who could ask for more? Although I did a lot of touristy stuff, I believe one would need at least a month of just traveling and sightseeing before they can claim to have exhausted what this place has to offer.
In-between work and travel, there have also been other adventures. The bus rides probably being the biggest highlight. It’s like the bus is a TV show and every ride is an episode. You see some of the weirdest things ever on the bus. I have also enjoyed going out while I have been here. The nightlife, of course, is quite intense. Within 48 hours of being in the country I was being shown the ropes by Kuda and Kelvin. Yes, trust me to find a bunch of Zimbabweans everywhere I go. I mean, they are everywhere anyway. New Years Eve with the South African group that I live and work with was lots of fun as well. We kinda took over every place we went into. Felt like I was back in Cape Town, in Long Street, in The Dubliner. Good times!!
I hope this has to shed more light as to what I have been up to. From here on, its real talk people! I hope this post will help readers understand some of the things I will be referring to in my posts to come.
